Mascara Review: Maybelline Great Lash BIG (vs. regular Great Lash)

I was originally going to review another mascara but with the high volume of requests for Maybelline’s Great Lash BIG I figured I BETTER review this baby here before y’all start e-hating me. HA! Not to mention newer mascaras override older ones. That’s just the rule of thumb for mascara reviewing, riiiiight? Hehe.

As most of you know, Great Lash has been out for quite some time. In fact, it has been rated the #1 mascara by a number of magazines. Do I think it’s #1?

No. It isn’t my favorite. Maybelline has “re-released” Great Lash and gave it a bigger wand. For the purpose of this, I will not only give an extensive review of Great Lash BIG but also compare it to the original.

Is it better?

Worse?

Still overrated?

Check the review….

Maybelline Great Lash BIG mascara

Price: 5 out of 5 (around $4.99 )Packaging (Brush Wand): 2 out of 5Overall: 3 out of 5

What it claims:

The original Great Lash’s claim:

Great Lash BIG’s claim:

The truth: I’ll let the pictures talk…..

What I loved about it: See below!

What I didn’t like: See below!

Overall: Okay first, let’s talk about outside packaging.

No changes here! Both the original and the Great Lash are the same in width and height. The only noticeable difference is, of course, the BIG on the new one. To better differentiate between the two mascaras (as if the wand doesn’t do that alone, ha!) I purchased Great Lash BIG in Very Black and Great Lash in Royal Blue.

Whoa! Huge difference, right? Great Lash’s wand always looked pretty “cheap” to me so it’s great to see it upgrade to a more modern and mainstream wand.

At the same time, however, you have to take into consideration that not all women like larger wands; especially ladies with smaller lids and lashes. Bigger wands are a mess for them. They also aren’t so friendly when trying to apply mascara in the corners of the eyes and on the bottom lashes. Let’s just say when attempting to do one of the two with Great Lash BIG, keep a Q-tip moistened with make-up remover nearby.

The new kid….

Lashes without mascara

(did NOT curl lashes)

Lashes with 2 coats of Great Lash BIG

The old lady….

Lashes without mascara

(did NOT curl lashes)

Lashes with 2 coats of Great Lash

Great Lash BIG on the left eye.

Great LASH on the right eye.

Crazy brows above both left and right eyes. LOL!

Um, I’m not that impressed with either. As you can see the original really looks a hot blue mess. I was better off not wearing any mascara at all. I should also mention that it made my lashes insanely hard. Which of course led to flaking.

Thumbs down to Great Lash—I need to amend my previous review of that mascara.

Now for Great Lash BIG.

In comparison to the original Great Lash, it indeed beats its predecessor. The volume isn’t bad at all, is it? I found Great Lash BIG difficult to use. The wand makes for difficult separation. I struggled somethin’ serious. I also found that when pulling the mascara out of the tube–I got very little mascara! I have to dip the wand in tube a good 5 times to get my lashes coated for just one coat. The formula isn’t the best. It seems very weak. Which, I suppose would work for ladies who don’t want coated lashes. After all, the packaging does say that the mascara is “buildable”. I get that but my goodnessss…..

This mascara also burns my eyes; a rarity for someone who reviews a different mascara every week! I actually had to stop using it because of the irritation. This, however, did not affect my overall opinion about the mascara. I doubt that the #1 mascara gives the average user burning eyes–otherwise it wouldn’t be #1, right? Maybe my eyes were just goin’ through some thangs.

Having played around with so many mascaras, I guess I don’t understand the hype that is Great Lash. BIG hasn’t changed my opinion either. I can name a dozen other mascaras, drugstore and higher end, that can knock these kids out of the water. I do think they are both overrated. This mascara is average. Certainly not the worst but nowhere near the best.

Clumps of Mascara YouTube subscribers think so too. You should see the comments I’m getting on this mascara. People seem to HATE Great Lash immensely.

Would I recommend it?: Nope. It’s cheap enough to try out if you’re bored but chances are you’ve tried something better.

When I first used it years ago, I liked it. But now..after trying other mascaras, I laugh each time I see it on the shelves. Define-a-lash, stiletto, XXL are muuuuuuuuuch better!!Plus it always clumped my lashes

Askmewhats

both are not and never available here! i guess its the fact that the mascara is washable and for anything non-waterproof in our weather down here would make us look like a crazy Panda on the loose

Thanks for your review, the Great Big Lash one is better on photos But you're right, the wand is just too huge I can just ask someone to poke my eye for me! LOL

Connie De Alwis

Thanks for the comparison! I still don't understand the popularity of this mascara! and I see it in Allure magazine sooo often. Lol! I can imagine that it'll do absolutely nothing for my puny puny asian lashes. lol. well, at least they improved it a little

Rachel

Can't say that I ever liked this one. I think I used it once in high school (back in the stone ages). Needless to say, it didn't cut the mustard in the 80's!

Lee

I never understood the hype either. With all the raves about it, I used to wonder if it was me. I think there are a lot better out there.

Krystina

HATE Great Lash! I've only used it once and never will again. Clumped amd flaked like crazy. I don't understand the hype at all.

The only positive thing about it is the wand. Not a fan of big wands and I like the fact it gets into small areas.

Great review, B!

beautyjudy

Great Lash has worked for me in the past, but I don't love it. I think I'd give BIG a shot, except I've already found mascaras I love and we all know sometimes that's hard to find so I'm sticking with them! (Max Factor Vivid Impact and Bad Gal by Benefit…only downside of Benefit is that I get black under my eyes even if I don't have mascara on my lower lashes).

Product Junkie Diva

YIkes..I thought the BIG one did well on your lashes but the blue one is a no go. Thanks I was going to puyrchase the BIG since I have a coupon but now I wont!!!PJD

JC

I could never understand why Maybelline Great Lash was the darling of all the make up artists and beauty editors out there. I was so less than impressed when I tried it. The blue actually looks worse than no mascara (not a bad reference to your lashes – they're gorg – but the mascara certainly doesn't do them justice)Honestly, the best drugstore mascaras I've found are L'oreal, particularly the Shocking Volume mascara.

Leigh

You know, Great Lash is probably the first mascara I ever saw, because my mom's used it for as long as I remember. I think that's probably a huge reason for its popularity. It's not makeup junkies like us who are buying it; it's women who don't have the time or interest to compare a lot of mascaras so they just go with what's familiar. Even I still use it for an everyday mascara, because it's cheap, and it works okay if you don't want anything fancy.

Brianna

I really don't get all the bad stuff that's said aboout great lash! I use it everyday, the wand is great, and you can put a coat or two for an everyday school look, or layer on more for a performance or night out. It wasn't my 1st mascara either, i tried Lash Blast before this and it's better!

I'm thinking of trying the BIG though. It looked really good in the pic!

Crissy

I think great lash is best for beginners.

mari

great lash = meh…

it's fine if you want to save money, but there are better ones by maybelline that aren't too expensive, like Stiletto; that stuff is fire! i use it as a base coat on my lashes then go over it with Waterproof Covergirl Lash Blast. it's a nice combo!

Andrea

Great review Brit! I think that I'll stick w/ my beloved Lancome:)

Anonymous

yeah its really not that great. u have to apply so many times. this is the mascara i used when i first started

Anonymous

yeah its really not that great. u have to apply so many times. this is the mascara i used when i first started

adorepink

Thanks for reviewing this! I was seriously considering buying this last weekend at Wal-Mart because it was a 2for deal. Now I realize why! It sucks so bad, they might as well give it away!

Anonymous

oh,this mascara is still alive?lol.seriously the last time i saw this mascara in local market shelve is many years ago.i bought one maybe 8 years ago.thats a long way back

Danielle

I've never been a Great Lash fan. Every now and then I buy it and remember why. It clumps and leaves my lashes really hard. I can't see why its rated number #

Have you tried Great Lash with the curved brush? It's marginally better in that it grabs lashes and defines them but doesn't really build volume. Also I found it didn't smudge as much on the outer corners of my asian eye.

another Brit

Great Lash formula burns my eyes too!

Anonymous

I have used Great Lash Mascara since the age of 14. I tried the Big Lash Mascara and the brush just about poked my eyeball out.

jennbad

The Great Lash mascara didn't work for me 15 years ago and tried again 5 years ago… it still is not working. It tries slow, no volume effect, not much lengthening, nor staying power. Did you have a chance to rate Shiseido's Perfect Mascara (says volume, length and luster on the box). So far so good, I will see if it will start to clump in a few weeks.

Cheryl

Looking at your pictures…I think you might not be applying it on in a way where it would lengthen and thicken. Try using the sweeping method from root to end. (where you move the wand in a side to side motion while you reach from root to end)

I just got the big lash today and I must say, for the price, its good. not a highly dramatic look on my lashes but dramatic enough (when i curl 'em too)

hope you find your perfect mascara though!

JLS

I’ve used this mascara for almost ten years and the last tube I bought made my eyes burn like mad. I just don’t get it. It’s my favorite and I was a Chanel makeup artist. Ouch! It’s incredible stuff but they must have changed the formula or something. I just can’t wear it-my eyes burn and tear up.

amanda

This mascara sucks! I used it yesterday on my bottom lashes and a few hours after I applied it my eyes started itching and burning like crazy! I took it off right away and now my eyes are all puffy and red. It’s been 1 day and my eyes still itch and burn like crazy!! Its good to know i’m not the only one who thinks this product sucks. I don’t know what the hell is in this mascara but they really need to change the ingredients because it’s just awful!! Ive never had a reaction to a makeup product before so I was surprised. Its just a bad mascara all around, I don’t see how anyone could like this. The applicator is so small and does nothing for your lashes except clump them together. I will never use this mascara again and would NOT recommend it.. spend a few more dollars and get a better mascara, trust me its worth it.

http://courtneydaymond.tumblr.com Courtney

Hey,

So for me Great Lash BIG is probably my most favourite mascara of all time. It just works with my eye lashes soooo perfectly. It makes them thicker and longer, more spread out evenly, does not clump at all, no flaking, wings and flicks my outer lashes sooo lovely.

I love the giant brush and I don’t mind that its big regarding my bottom lashes because it is a slow building one so it’s not like you get heaps on there anyway. Just do you’re bottom lashes after your last top coat so theres not heaps on there.

It’s not really wet so it doesn’t make my eyelashes stick together and its not clumpy and dry either.

The brush is really bushy so each eyelash is separated when applying and you dont get 3 lashes in between two bristles with a giant gap between them.

You did say you could name others that would beat these, can you tell me because Great Lash Big isn’t available where I live

Instagram Is Love

5 days agoby clumpsofmascara'Best be your on cheerleader. Don't wait for a pat on the back. Or a LIKE or comment. You don't need to have a slew of approvals from anyone. Be dynamic for YOU!

22 hours agoby clumpsofmascaraHomemade pasta with seafood bits. A bit salty but ohmigoodness, what a hearty and delicious stew-like bowl of flavors in Winter Park.

5 days agoby clumpsofmascaraNail polishing in a parking lot. Look. Gotta pamper when and where you can.

1 week agoby clumpsofmascaraScooped up some new head wraps from @thewraplife . In loooooove with these prints. Can't wait to chop them for mommy & daughter twin wraps.

5 days agoby clumpsofmascaraMy coworker goes, "I haven't bought a lipstick in a year." Oh no!!! She must not know 'bout me. Tomorrow is National Lipstick Day and I've got to get her prepared! Packing her a nice goody bag of lipsticks. I'm the same way if you visit my house. NO ONE leaves empty-handed. Beauty goodies for all!

17 hours agoby clumpsofmascara#iRepost@occmakeup : "Introducing our first look at #LipTarRTW , launching on August 14th! Left to right: Vintage, Black Metal Dahlia, Lydia, Anime & Rx! Stay tuned as we reveal the next 5 shades next week!" --- Soooo, makeup and OCC Lip Tar fans, what do we think about this new packaging? I'm kinda excited about it!

3 days agoby clumpsofmascaraGood morning, risk takers! Today I'm doing something incredibly challenging and scary. I make it a habit to push myself to the limit often. You should, too. Come on. DO IT NOW!!

2 days agoby clumpsofmascaraI neeeed time to myself. Marriage and parenthood did not change this. Every morning, I wake up earlier than everyone else. And just be. No demands. No rushing. I do what I want. I sip my tea and pray and read and polish my nails. Or I do nothing. It does SO much for my sanity and peace. Mamas and daddies, give it a try. - [NOTE] This likely doesn't work with newborns. Those tiny humans own every fiber of your being. Happy Friday!

6 days agoby clumpsofmascaraBeen tackling my hurr these days. Which is a big deal because I'm usually pretty lazy. Test drove some @LovinMyTextures products and yessss, I LOVE them! Check out my review. It's in the bio. Much love to @lovettehair for my tri-color situation. ❤️

4 days agoby clumpsofmascaraSome of y'all have your coffee and then crazy folx like me blend up spinach, an apple and an entire lemon to drink. Had one kid in my stomach craving it and a kid on the outside steal half. Righteous.

3 days agoby clumpsofmascaraAnd on today's agenda...food photography. I would love to be a food blogger. But I don't want to cook. Ever.